


O'hana Means Family

by mythras_fire



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Domestic Fluff, Gift Fic, Kid Fic, Lilo & Stitch are made of win, M/M, Mild Language, POV Bucky Barnes, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), mentions of PTSD flashbacks, stucky!feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 07:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7565647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythras_fire/pseuds/mythras_fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"They told me you come back to Brooklyn every Sunday, but this ain't quite what I was expectin'."</p><p>Steve looks up from his spot seated on the back porch of an old one-story red-brick house on a quiet tree-lined street in the neighborhood where he and Bucky grew up. He squints into the evening sun, an easy smile on his face. "What were you expectin'?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	O'hana Means Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wearing_tearing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearing_tearing/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Itsy Bitsy Yoga](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5330861) by [wearing_tearing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearing_tearing/pseuds/wearing_tearing). 



> My headcanon: Steve and T'Challa leave Bucky in stasis for several months while they work on finding a way to stabilize the Winter Soldier's condition. Steve strongly believes that Bucky will benefit from and deserves to have a quiet(er) life living with him in New York as they attempt to rehabilitate Bucky into society. Bucky's feeling a little better now and ventures out to join Steve on his weekly visit to a house in Brooklyn.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to wearing_tearing for being such an amazing writer and for sharing with us the joy that is her Stucky fic, Itsy Bitsy Yoga. The happiness that Steve and Bucky enjoy in that story is what inspired me to write this day-in-the-life story of a happier future for our two favorite super soldiers.

"They told me you come back to Brooklyn every Sunday, but this ain't quite what I was expectin'."

Steve looks up from his spot seated on the back porch of an old one-story red-brick house on a quiet tree-lined street in the neighborhood where he and Bucky grew up. He squints into the evening sun, an easy smile on his face. "What were you expectin'?"

Bucky shrugs as he takes a seat next to Steve on the second step. A little closer than strictly necessary. Always a little too close. Always just enough to turn heads. Just enough to send a thrill down their spines from the danger of being too close. Bucky doesn't need to worry about that anymore but old habits die hard. 

He takes in the small fenced-in backyard that is strewn about with brightly-colored children's toys, a tricycle, and a hula hoop all flattening sun-bleached grass. He turns to regard Steve with a raised eyebrow but the other man just smiles and leans in to say hello. 

Bucky's all for that. He hasn't seen Steve all week due to differences in their schedules so he sighs into the kiss, sweet and chaste and full of love, warming his insides like nothing else he has ever known. One of Steve's arms settles around his waist and Bucky unwinds a little bit more. Steve's touch has always had a grounding effect on Bucky. Sometimes that's all he needs to calm the maelstrom in his head for a few precious seconds so that he can be present in the moment. 

Which is quite possibly one of the only reasons bad things don't happen when he's suddenly startled out of his momentary reverie by a high-pitched voice exclaiming, "Ewwwww, Grandpa's kissing!" 

Another reason being that Steve's grip on Bucky's waist tightens fractionally and his forehead comes to rest against Bucky's as he makes a calming 'shhh' sound because he knows Bucky. Better than anyone else on Earth. 

Bucky rubs noses with Steve in thanks before exhaling slowly and pulling back enough to turn his head towards the sound coming from the middle of the yard… where a little girl is standing, hands perched imperiously where her hips will be someday, a rag doll clutched under one arm. 

Possible threats neutralized for the moment, his brain finishes processing what the little girl said, and he turns back to face Steve with an impish grin. 

"Hah! She called you gramps cuz you're so old!"

Steve rolls his eyes at Bucky and pulls his hand back to give Bucky's shoulder a playful shove. "That's rich, coming from you, jerk."

Bucky laughs and shoves him back, "Punk," but in that moment the meaning behind the words finally sinks in, "Wait a second... Why _did_ she call you grandpa? You look barely legal." He doesn't really, not anymore. Not like he does now, larger than life. But he'll always be that fiery little pipsqueak from Brooklyn in Bucky's eyes. 

Steve rolls his eyes again. Does that a lot actually. Bucky finds it endearing. 

He reaches a hand up to brush some of Bucky’s hair out of his eyes, thumb rubbing briefly over his temple. "I love watchin’ that little hamster fire up the wheel in your brain, Buck. Although, to be fair, the poor little guy's probably got freezer burn, so ya gotta cut him some slack."

Bucky smirks at this but also swears that Steve is clairvoyant sometimes because he hasn't even finished vocalizing the first syllable of "Fuck you, Rogers," when Steve tilts his head in the kid's direction and gives him The Look. You know the one. The one that makes even that asshat son of Stark shut his gob. Bucky really wishes Steve would give Stark The Look more often, although Natasha tells him he broke it out early and often back when he first came out of the ice. 

Oh how Bucky wishes Steve could have been there for him then. Maybe he could have saved Bucky from himself all that much sooner. Could've prevented this whole ugly business with the Sokovia Accords and Ross and Stark. 

His smirk falls off his face and his eyes lose their focus in the intervening moments as his mind goes a wanderin'. He swallows the rest of his words and looks down at the empty space where his metal hand should be lying next to his flesh hand in his lap. He never thought he'd miss it, because of what it represented, what it had allowed him to get away with, even if under someone else's control. But it has, in fact, been a part of him for a whole lifetime already. So yeah, there's a void there that he isn't sure how he wants to fill, if at all. 

"Hey," Steve says quietly to bring him back to the present, his left hand reaching out to twine his fingers with those of Bucky's right. 

"Are you his boyfriend?"

Both Bucky and Steve turn their attention to the little girl, who is still standing there in the yard, only a lot closer to the house now. Shit, when did she move? Bucky doesn't recall tracking her location while he and Steve were talking, which is worrisome. Maybe the hamster in his brain really does have freezer burn. 

Simultaneously, they blurt out answers that reflect their different grasps of 21st century social mores and how to talk to children. 

"Yes."

"Uh..."

Bucky realizes the little girl is addressing him if the big brown eyes unabashedly boring holes into his skull are any indication.

The frost-bitten hamster in his brain decides this is the perfect time to randomly dredge up photos of Peggy Carter doing exactly the same thing. 

WTF. 

The little girl must have accepted Steve's answer and moved on because her piercing gaze has shifted to the right and is now focused on Bucky's left shoulder where the sleeve of his nondescript black t-shirt is flapping in the light breeze blowing 'round the side of the house.

"What happened to your arm?"

Bucky blinks at her once, then looks down at the empty sleeve for a long moment. He can feel Steve's eyes on him. He looks back down at the little girl through the wind-blown hair partially covering his face and says softly, resolutely, "Lost it in the war."

Steve squeezes his hand a little tighter and Bucky leans his right shoulder into his best-friend's arm for support. 

The little girl looks serious now, too, as she looks from Bucky's arm to the doll hanging limply at her side, clutched in her left hand. She holds the doll up in front of her and for the first time, Bucky realizes it, too, is missing an arm... 

And that it's blue. 

And has antennae coming out of the top of its head and more down its back. 

And has big round eyes that are kind of worn in the corners. 

Definitely not a doll, then. At least, not the kind girls from his generation played with on the front stoops of their Brooklyn neighborhood. 

"This is Stitch. He lost an arm, too. But it wasn't in the war," she says matter-of-factly as she turns the - whatever it is - around to show its backside, "the neighbor's dog ate it," and points to the teeth marks still visible in the remaining fabric around the right shoulder. 

Bucky just nods slowly, then turns to Steve and says in a low voice, "No, really, who is she?"

Before Steve can open his mouth to respond there comes a soft zipping sound and then a somewhat garbled male voice - like that of a little boy speaking English with a made-up accent - carries up the three steps to the two super soldiers who once again turn their heads towards the little girl in bewilderment. 

She's still holding the "doll" out in front of her with one hand, a white pull cord ring slowly winding its way back into the stuffed animal. 

"This is my family," says the little alien voice recording in the doll. "I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Ya. Still good."

Bucky breaks a little on the inside. 

His breath catches in his throat, but Steve is the only one who perceives it. 

The trouble with triggers is that Bucky never knows which asinine, mundane word or image is going to trip out the poor beleaguered hamster in his brain and send him on a fun little roller coaster ride through Hell. 

Sometimes it's flashbacks of the war and the Howling Commandos getting captured and Steve "Captain America" Rogers, his knight in shining vibranium, coming to his rescue. 

Other times it's nothing but horrific flashes of lightning streaking down over the dark deserted landscape that is the Winter Soldier's empty shell of a mind; a slate wiped clean so many times that new orders don’t stick as well as they used to.

Thank fuck the triggers to activate the Winter Soldier are so many and so specific, because Bucky cannot go through that Hell on Earth ever again. 

Today's flashback is mercifully benign in comparison and the hypothermic hamster takes Bucky on a little trip down memory lane. Back to the good old days when it was just Bucky and Steve, two kids from Brooklyn looking out for each other; one bursting at the seams with vim and vigor, the other wearing newspapers in his shoes in his eternal fight to stay warm. 

Just as suddenly as they had glazed over a few seconds ago, Bucky's eyes regain their focus and he's surprised to find himself encircled in Steve's arms, his back pressed against Steve's warm chest. He supposes he should be used to Steve being bigger than him by now. Bucky had always been the big spoon before but he kind of likes this cocoon feeling. He rubs his right shoulder into Steve's chest in appreciation. 

"You're my family," is whispered into the skin on the right side of his neck and Bucky can feel Steve's lips bestow a gentle kiss to his rapidly overheating skin. 

Bucky breaks a little more inside but this time it's from the unbridled love he feels for this man here: his best friend, his lover, his family.

It must show on his face. 

"Are you gonna cry, Mister?" the little girl pipes up again, clutching the doll to her chest as if she's afraid it'll say something else that might upset Bucky some more. "My teacher at school Miss Jones says it's okay to cry, even for boys."

Bucky can't help chuckling a little at that. He can feel Steve trying to hold in a snicker from the way his ribs are vibrating against Bucky's back. He elbows Steve slightly in said ribs before muttering, "Punk" again. He says it a lot some days. The answering, "Jerk" seeps right into his skin where Steve's lips have found their new home. Bucky is hard-pressed to keep his eyes open and focused on the little girl who seems to be giving her doll a stern talking-to in a whisper voice if the pointer finger she's shaking at it is any indication. 

The sun is setting, casting the backyard in shadow and painting the leaves on the trees a pretty golden color. The light breeze is blowing away the last of the day’s heat, leaving the skin of Bucky’s neck cold where Steve’s lips have just been.

The little girl has finished admonishing her doll and is in the process of picking up the hula hoop lying nearby in the grass when someone calls out to her from inside the house. A woman's voice, and a familiar one at that. 

"Maggie! Time to come in for dinner, sweetie!"

Bucky tenses up in Steve’s arms once more but in recognition this time. Steve makes the same calming ‘shh’ sound where his lips have returned to their stakeout along the skin of his neck just below his ear. It actually kinda tickles and Bucky involuntarily shies away from the sensation, a little gasp of air escaping from his throat. 

The sound of Bucky’s movement and his sharp in-drawn breath must attract the woman’s attention because she opens the screen door just enough to stick her head out and to the right. 

Oh shit, they've been made. Eh, Bucky's been considering retirement from the whole super soldier ninja assassin gig for a little while anyway, now that's he got his Steve back. 

So he puts on his best “fuck with me and die” face and looks up. 

“Sergeant Barnes.”

“Agent Carter.”

And then everyone starts talking at once and the pieces to the puzzle that Bucky has been trying to solve for the last five minutes begin to fall into place. 

“I presume you are staying for dinner as usual, Steve?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Yay! Can Grandpa’s boyfriend stay for dinner, too? And then can we watch Lilo & Stitch, huh, Mom?”

“For the 826th time?” Sharon casts an amused glance in Steve’s direction before turning back to her daughter. “Sure, honey, but remember, tomorrow’s a school day so it’s off to bed with you as soon as the movie’s done. Do we have a deal?”

“Deal! Will you watch the movie with us, Mister? It’s my favorite, and it’s even got music by the King!”

“Remember your manners, dear, how do we introduce ourselves to people we’re meeting for the first time?”

Bucky’s hamster is still tripping over itself to process the fact that Agent Carter has a daughter -- so that’s why he was getting flashes of Peggy earlier! -- so he’s understandably a bit blindsided when she formally introduces herself. 

“Oh. Um. Ok. Hello, my name is Margaret Carter, but you can call me Maggie. Nice to meet you.”

When Bucky doesn't immediately respond, a subtle squeeze from Steve’s arms gives him the push he needs to focus on the little girl now standing by the screen door of the back porch, her little right hand extended at a 45º angle, her demeanor all business.

He clears his throat and untangles his right hand from inside his Steve-cocoon to shake Maggie’s hand briefly, still a little wary but every bit the gentleman his momma raised him to be.

“Hello, my name is James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Now will you stay for dinner and watch Lilo & Stitch with us, Bucky?” Maggie asks, those big round eyes that remind him so much of Steve’s wartime flame, looking imploringly at him. 

“He'd love to,” Steve answers for Bucky when no words are forthcoming from the former assassin.

“Yay! Okay, great, you can sit next to me and Grandpa on the big couch!” Maggie practically runs Agent Carter over in her haste to enter the house. Carter just shakes her head, gives Steve a wry grin, and follows her daughter back into the house. 

Bucky can hear Maggie yelling at the top of her voice, presumably from the kitchen, if they can use the air popper to make popcorn for the movie. 

“I think someone just made a new friend,” Steve chuckles into Bucky’s hair. 

Bucky snorts. “Guess so.” He takes a deep breath. “Bares a striking resemblance to--” 

“Yeah, I know. Knocked the wind right out of me first time I met her.”

Bucky nods in understanding. “I can imagine. Those big brown eyes…”

“Sharon says she has her Aunt Peggy’s ‘tempestuous’ spirit.”

Bucky laughs out loud at Steve’s editorializing. “I’ll bet she did.” He doesn’t really want to leave the warm cocoon of Steve’s arms but he also doesn’t want Carter to come back out to the porch to fetch them inside. 

When he makes to sit up, Steve relaxes his arms and they both get to their feet.

“So, you never did answer my question about why she calls you Grandpa,” Bucky asks as he brushes his hair out of his face with his right hand. Steve absentmindedly reaches up and pulls on a little curl at his temple until it springs loose. He’s always touching Bucky in seemingly insignificant ways that mean more to Bucky than most grand gestures would. 

Curl released from the fold, Steve pulls his hand back to rub at his neck, smiling a little sheepishly. “Well, when she introduced herself to me, exactly as she did to you, I was a bit stunned. Maggie asked if I was okay, and Sharon told her that Aunt Peggy and I were sweethearts during the war.”

“Does she have any idea that the war in question happened over 60 years ago?” 

“No, her concept of time is, kind of, well, non-existent at this point,” Steve says wryly. “All she knows is that her mom and Aunt Peggy were both important people during a war that happened sometime before she was born.”

Bucky smiles, “Okay, but why ‘Grandpa’ and not, say, ‘Uncle Steve’?”

“Sharon says her grasp of family trees is also pretty minimal at this age. Maggie knows that her grandma and Aunt Peggy are older than her mom, and she knows that Grandma is married to Grandpa so--”

“So she DOES call you Grandpa because you’re so old!! Hah, I knew it!!” Bucky cackles with glee, easily sidestepping Steve’s attempt to push him off balance. 

“Ugh, you are such a jerk,” Steve mock pouts for all of two seconds before he’s laughing, too.

“Yeah, but I’m your jerk, you punk,” Bucky retorts, all smiles.

“What am I gonna do with you?” Steve shakes his head, still chuckling.

“Well, for starters you’re gonna lead the way to dinner cuz I’m starvin’,” Bucky replies, taking Steve’s left hand in his right and kissing him once, then twice. “And then you’re going to fill me in on what a ‘Lilo’, a ‘Stitch’, and ‘the King’ all are so that I have the smallest clue as to what we’ll be watchin’.”

Steve just grins at him as he leads him inside the house. “I can certainly do that, Buck. But how do you feel about aliens?”

 

*The End*

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch. All mentions and quotes thereof belong to Disney et al. I'm just a big fan of the movie :)


End file.
